Chapter 15
Shen Yan was one of the first monsters Shen Wen created.
Back then, it didn’t have a name. It was a small, weak, pitch-black creature, barely surviving in the harsh monster dungeon.
Shen Wen assumed it would quickly dissipate, leaving no trace behind.
But Shen Yan, possessing slightly more intelligence than the other monsters, managed to sow chaos in the dungeon, reaping the benefits and devouring countless monsters, growing stronger.
By the time Shen Wen noticed, Shen Yan had already developed a human form and, using its initially weak abilities, had become a dungeon boss.
Shen Wen didn’t interfere further. He enjoyed creating monsters but wasn’t interested in controlling their lives.
It wasn’t until Xing Nuo was born that Shen Yan came to the castle for a formal visit, bringing gifts.
Shen Yan’s human form was handsome. Influenced by their creator, Shen Wen, these monsters inherently had male characteristics.
Carrying formula, baby food, and teething biscuits, he wore a well-tailored suit, his steel-gray eyes slightly cold.
“I heard you have an heir? A human?” This was the first thing Shen Yan said upon seeing Shen Wen.
Could such a weak creature survive in this world?
At the time, Shen Wen was struggling with Xing Nuo’s walking. The one-and-a-half-year-old cub would stumble and fall after just a few steps, looking up with pleading eyes to be picked up.
Shen Wen couldn’t resist and would always pick up Xing Nuo, comforting the fake-crying cub.
As a result, even now, Xing Nuo wasn’t very good at walking.
Hearing Shen Yan’s question, Shen Wen, preoccupied, frowned and waved him away.
“If you have nothing else to say, you can leave. I’m not in the mood for guests.”
Just then, Shen Wen had to deal with an intrusion by some players.
Shen Yan didn’t leave, but went upstairs to look after Xing Nuo, who was napping.
When Shen Wen returned, he saw Shen Yan standing by the crib.
Shen Yan was looking down at the sleeping cub, lost in thought.
Shen Wen walked over, picked up the little one, who seemed to be having a nightmare, wiped the tears from his eyes, and gently patted his back.
Xing Nuo, just over a year old, woke up and, unable to speak properly, just sobbed, clutching his dad’s clothes.
After crying for a while, Xing Nuo, exhausted, quieted down, rested his head against his dad’s chest, and stared blankly with his watery eyes.
Shen Yan, who hadn’t left, watched from the doorway for a while, then suddenly spoke:
“Are all humans like this? They seem quite different from us.”
Without waiting for Shen Wen’s reply, Shen Yan glanced at the dazed Xing Nuo and left.
Shen Wen hadn’t expected to hear Shen Yan’s name from a human.
He collected his thoughts, carried Xing Nuo, whose eyes were filled with curiosity, and followed the teacher and the other families to the classroom.
“Parents, please have your children sit at the desks to experience what a real class feels like!”
The teacher clapped her hands to get the children’s attention.
“Children, choose a desk you like and sit down to listen to a story, okay?”
Shen Wen put Xing Nuo down. The little one looked up at him, puzzled.
Shen Wen gently nudged Zaizai and whispered:
“Zaizai, sit down and listen to the teacher’s story, okay?”
Xing Nuo obediently nodded, but didn’t move.
A chubby little boy, bolder than the others, rushed to claim a desk.
After claiming his desk, he also claimed the one next to it and ran back to pull Xing Nuo’s hand.
“Little sister, come sit with me! I’m really strong!”
Xing Nuo was pulled forward a couple of steps, his steps unsteady. He wriggled free.
“Not little sister.”
At three years old, children had a basic understanding of gender.
The chubby boy stopped, looked at Xing Nuo, lifted his chin, and huffed, hands on his hips.
“You’re smaller than me, shorter than me, so you’re a little sister!”
Xing Nuo shook his head, his curls bouncing, tickling his face.
He brushed the hair away from his face and explained slowly:
“I boy.”
This startled not only the chubby boy but also the other children and some of the parents.
The parents quickly recovered and, glancing at Shen Wen’s long, silky, golden hair, then at Xing Nuo’s shoulder-length hair, understood.
It must be a family tradition to have long hair.
However, Xing Nuo’s small stature, delicate features, slurred speech, and noticeable light-colored curls did make it easy to mistake his gender.
The other children, curious, gathered around Xing Nuo, chattering like little birds.
A little girl even reached out and touched Xing Nuo’s hair, her eyes widening in surprise.
“Really not a girl!”
“I touched it! His hair is long!”
“Princesses have curly hair too! Why isn’t my hair curly?”
Children were sometimes even more appearance-conscious than adults, judging potential friends solely on their looks.
After observing the pretty and delicate Xing Nuo for a while, the little ones were reluctantly pulled away by their parents and made to sit down.
Only the initially protective chubby boy refused to accept this, wailing loudly.
“No! Little sisters have long hair! He’s a little sister!”
His embarrassed parent smacked him on the bottom, silencing his cries.
“Sorry everyone, let’s continue with the class.”
The parent quickly placed the crying chubby boy in his seat, whispered a few words to him, and joined the other parents outside the classroom.
Despite the small interruption, the teacher continued with the lesson.
Xing Nuo chose a seat in the back row by the window, where he could see his dad outside.
He sat on the small chair, his hands folded neatly on the cloud-shaped desk, listening attentively to the teacher’s story.
The engaging storytelling session quickly ended.
The first day of kindergarten orientation was over.
Xing Nuo, holding his dad’s hand, put on his little backpack and waddled home.
On the way, Shen Wen asked Xing Nuo about his impressions of kindergarten.
“Did Zaizai enjoy the class?”
“Yes~”
There were many children to play with, and the flowerbed in the corner had Xing Nuo’s favorite sunflowers.
Shen Wen, remembering the parenting advice he had read, seized the opportunity.
“So, will Zaizai go to kindergarten every day?”
Xing Nuo, oblivious to the potential dangers, nodded, his bright eyes curving into a smile.
“Okay~”
They entered the elevator. On the third floor, the doors opened.
A new resident, his arms bulging with veins, wearing camouflage pants, was carrying a stack of boxes. He paused, seeing Shen Wen and Xing Nuo.
“Hi, I’m the new resident on the third floor.” He greeted them.
Shen Wen nodded curtly and looked away.
The third-floor resident, however, was quite talkative, unfazed by Shen Wen’s coldness.
“You’re from the fourth floor, right? I joined the complex group chat. Your family is quite famous! Is this your child? He’s so well-behaved!”
He reached out to pinch Xing Nuo’s cheek.
Shen Wen, holding Xing Nuo, frowned and moved away from the dirty hand.
The third-floor resident chuckled, wiped his hand on his pants, and made clicking sounds at Xing Nuo, like teasing a puppy.
Xing Nuo hid half his face in his dad’s chest, peeking at the goofy uncle with his watery eyes.
The third-floor resident entered the elevator with his boxes, riding up to the fourth floor with them before going back down.
A few seconds later, they reached the fourth floor.
As they were leaving the elevator, Shen Wen heard the third-floor resident answer a phone call.
“What? Another anomaly in the eastern district? What’s going on? There have been so many anomalies lately!”
The third-floor resident’s voice was low, but Shen Wen’s boss-level monster hearing allowed him to hear clearly even through the elevator doors.
Shen Wen raised an eyebrow, then looked down indifferently, wiping a smudge of dirt from Xing Nuo’s nose.
“How did you get so dirty?”
Like a little puppy, getting dirty after just a short time outside.
And still smiling so happily. Shen Wen chuckled softly.
At lunch, Xing Nuo, his mouth full of small meatballs, excitedly told his brother about what he had seen at kindergarten.
“Big…house…children sit…teacher tell stowy…I tell Big Brother…”
Xing Nuo’s speech had improved recently, and he could almost form complete sentences, although still with his little nasal voice, requiring some guesswork to understand.
Shen Baizhou rested his chin on his hand, looking down at his little brother, his lips curving into a smile as he watched Xing Nuo’s eyebrows shoot up in excitement.
Such a tiny thing, can’t even speak properly, yet trying so hard to tell a story.
So amusing!
